Loyalty and Royalty Part I I Put a Spell On You
by cleverpun0
Summary: After being rejected for the 8th time by the Wonderbolts, Rainbow begins to question her abilities. When a unicorn offers to cast a spell to make her better, Rainbow is skeptical, but intrigued... and oblivious to the poisonous plan behind it. Will Rainbow be able to escape this wretched web? And if she can't, will her friends be able to save her in time?
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Ch. 0**

**Prologue**

BY: cleverpun

Chrysalis had lost count of the days since her defeat at Canterlot Castle. She had been so close to victory, and yet she was still sitting in a dank cave, her forces dead or scattered across Equestria. Every day since she had been plotting anew, examining the flaws in her plan, trying to pinpoint where it had gone wrong so that she could guarantee success the second time. The days had begun to blur together immediately, and changeling biology meant she had no built-in timer based on hunger or fatigue.

And no matter how many times she went over it, she always hit the same stumbling blocks; the Elements of Harmony and of Love, her missing army, and her own weakened state. Without any emotions to feed on, she couldn't gather enough strength to rebuild her empire, and without either, she would never be able to subdue the Elements.

And then, after going over it in her head for perhaps the three-thousand-and-twenty-first time, she realized something… Why not take care of all three problems at once?

If she could somehow gain control of one of the Elements, their emotions would be able to refuel her powers, and with enough manipulation, they could be the first commander in an entirely new army. It was perfect. It would take care of every impediment in one fell swoop.

She didn't dare strike at the Element of Love, they would be on guard after she nearly won at their wedding. But the other six… surely one of them would be vulnerable to her machinations. She just had to bide her time, act more carefully than she previously had.

With as much optimism as could exist in a changeling, Chrysalis forged herself an appropriate disguise and began her long journey to Ponyville.


	2. Chapter 1: Poisonous Plans

**Ch. 1**

**Poisonous Plans**

BY: cleverpun

Rainbow Dash had been staring at the letter for a while now. The return address definitely said "The Wonderbolts" at the top. It _had_ to be a response to her latest application. And I mean, let's face it, she was the greatest flier in Equestria. But every time she told herself that, then went to open the letter, doubt would flare up in her mind, and she would withdraw her hoof and go back to staring at it. She had gone through that cycle at least 5 times now.

"Come on Rainbow, the worst that could happen is rejection right? And, that's not… that bad… in the long run."

She let herself believe her own lie, and finally managed to get her hoof on the envelope.

She opened it slowly, partly because she didn't want to damage the letter inside, and opening an envelope with a hoof isn't easy, and partly because she was still afraid of the news that might be inside it. When the letter was finally out, she immediately noticed that it was a lot shorter than the last rejection letter they had sent her, and her name at the top hadn't been filled in by a secretary like usual.

Dear Ms. Rainbow Dash,

Thank you for all the applications you have sent us to date. Your enthusiasm and ability are, as always, beyond what we see from most of our fans.

We have, however, sent you this letter to politely request that you refrain from sending us any further applications. We are aware of your talents, and if we ever require additional members, we will contact you personally.

Thank you for your continued interest in our team.

Sincerely,

Lucius Beet, Manager

As Rainbow let the meaning of the letter sink in, she wasn't sure how to feel.

"Guess I know what's worse than rejection now; never-ending rejection…"

She walked slowly to her bed, and put the letter in her nightstand, on top of the other seven. She then fell onto her bed, her usual confidence fighting with her latest failure.

"After all the amazing things I've done, the Wonderbolts still don't want me as part of their team. After all the times I've met them, impressed them, saved them, I'm still just another… _fangirl_ to them. I'm the best flier in Equestria and I'm still not _good enough_…"

Rainbow sat upright.

"No! I'm no failure! I'll show the Wonderbolts, I just have to train harder. Yeah… work on my aim and my endurance. Then, they'll have no excuse not to accept me!"

Filled with her old level of determination again, Rainbow gathered her bag and refilled her water bottle, and started to head to Ponyville Field.

As she popped out of her door, she decided to walk there as her warm-up, and flew down to the ground.

The bright sunshine made the walk pleasant enough, although as she trotted along she kept imagining herself in the sky, the wind in her mane. Not that walking was boring or anything, it just wasn't as exciting. Hmm… maybe a light jog?

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow snapped out of her mental meandering.

"Oh, uh, hi Rarity, didn't see ya there."

"I don't normally see you on the ground; what's the occasion?" Rarity fell into step with Rainbow, since she was heading the same way.

"Oh, I was just heading over to Ponyville Field for some exercise. Figured walkin' would…"

"Oh, did the Wonderbolts finally respond to your letter? I know you've been gushing about it for days and days! I saw you waiting for the mailpony yesterday too! Did it finally arrive? Did they finally accept you?"

"Oh, uh nah, I'm… I just got tired of sitting around waiting for letters all the time. Gotta be ready for when it finally does get here ya know."

"Funny, it has been a week, you would think they would have responded already. Surely they would not want to keep a pony of your talents waiting!"

"Naw, they've gotta, you know, they can't seem like they're too eager to accept me. That's why they sent me all those other rejection letters. They're just playing hardball so they can get a better contract outta me. It's just how these things go, in sports…"

"Oh I see. Well, enjoy your workout Rainbow; I'm sure the fourth time will be the charm!" Rarity turned off towards a fabric shop, and Rainbow let out a deep breath once the store's door had closed.

"Right, almost forgot I lied about the last 3 rejection letters… What will everypony think of me when they find out the Wonderbolts don't ever want to hear from me again?"

Lost in thought for the rest of her jog, Rainbow finally arrived at Ponyville Field. She hadn't been here since she had been training everypony for the water tornado up to Cloudsdale. Several ponies were playing some team sport on the field. The track was empty, and at one end of the lanes were a series of large targets painted onto the ground.

"Alright, done this regimen a thousand times, just gotta push myself a little more is all."

Rainbow started to practice her aim, starting at one end of the track, picking up speed as she took off, and then performing a large midair loop, before flying straight down and landing on one of the targets.

As she repeated the exercise, a turquoise unicorn carefully watched her in the background. The mare was doing a poor job of being inconspicuous, but nopony seemed to notice her, least of all Rainbow Dash. For the entirety of Rainbow's workout session the cyan spy went unnoticed, sitting in the same spot and never taking her eyes off Dash's increasingly sweaty body. For countless hours Rainbow continued to train, and as she finally packed up and went off to get some food, the spy felt satisfied with the information she had gathered. Instead of slinking off to stalk Twilight, as she usually did, she decided to return to her home.

As she trotted through the town square, a cream-colored earth pony popped up in front of her.

"Hi Lyra!"

"Oh… hello Bon Bon."

"What's up with you lately? You've been avoiding me, and don't try to deny it!"

"Yes, well, I've just been busy. It happens, you know."

"Oh honestly, Lyra, that's the weakest excuse yet, you'll really have to do better."

"No really, I am in the middle of a very big project. Very wide scope, fate of the world sort of things. It's been taking all my attention."

"Hmph, a likely story." She sharply turned her head to the side to punctuate her disapproval.

As she looked away, Lyra cast a quick spell, the wheel on a nearby cart glowing green as it shook loose. The stall promptly fell over, spilling its contents on the cobblestones. In the ensuing commotion Lyra quickly snuck away.

"Ugh, don't think you'll get off that easy Lyra!" Bon Bon shouted into the crowd. "Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I'm friends with that scatterbrain…"

A few streets over, Lyra finally arrived at her house, an uneventful two-story near Stirrup Street. She slipped in, and made sure to lock the door behind her. After double-checking all the curtains were shut, she closed her eyes and cast another spell.

In burst of green light, the disguise burned away, and Chrysalis stretched her hooves, her neck cracking loudly as she turned it to either side. Her horn glowed green as she summoned the real Lyra.

Lyra trotted down the stairs, looking distinctly disheveled and drowsy. Her eyes were barely half-open, her usually gold irises instead a sickly green, and her sclera a light minty color.

"Hello Queen Chrysalis! How did your evil plans go today?"

"Very well for once." Chrysalis walked over to Lyra, checking that she hadn't been injured in her absence. "While spying on the Element of Loyalty, I sensed a lot of fear, worry, panic in her; something must have shaken her today. This could be the weakness I've been searching for…"

Chrysalis stroked Lyra's mane for a few moments, and then placed her hoof on Lyra's chin, lifting the unicorn's head until their eyes met. Both of their eyes began to glow brightly in unison. The pony wobbled slightly as her emotional energy was drained from her body, her eyelids dropping slightly as the magical glow faded.

"Mmm, delicious as always."

"Thank you Queen Chrysalis."

"You may prepare yourself something to eat, I must plan my next move." Chrysalis stretched out on the couch, trying to relax after standing around in that cramped disguise all day.

Lyra stumbled to her fridge, grabbing some food with quite a bit less coordination that she normally would. "What are you going to do to her?"

"Well, first I have to find out what has caused her to doubt herself, what she is so worried about. Once I have spied on her a bit longer, then I can find a way to turn her weaknesses to my advantage. Yes… Just a matter of time now. And the Element of Loyalty must be capable of very strong feelings indeed. Mmm, I'm salivating just thinking about it!"

"And then she'll serve you, just like me?"

"Oh no, I have something bigger planned for her and the rest of the Elements. But I need to be careful; they are off guard now, but I will not get another chance if I mess up this time…"

After Lyra had eaten her meal, or rather, robotically chewed and swallowed her food, she walked over to Chrysalis, laying down on the floor below the sofa, and leaning her head against Chrysalis' body. Despite the awkward position, she wasn't uncomfortable; Chrysalis didn't allow her to be. She continued stroking the mare's mane, just as she had been for so many other days beforehand, letting emotional energy trickle into her from the brainwashed pony, a light snack while she planned her next move.


	3. Chapter 2: Poisonous Promises

**Ch. 2**

**Poisonous Promises**

BY: cleverpun

It had been a week since Rainbow Dash had begun her new training regimen, and it simply wasn't doing any good. She had pushed herself to the limit every morning, but no matter what she did she wasn't getting any better; Her wingpower readings were still the same, her endurance hadn't really increased, and her accuracy was acceptable but unchanged.

As Chrysalis watched from under her tree, still disguised as Lyra, she could feel Rainbow's frustration easily. It didn't take an empathy to notice her increasing irritation at her own shortcomings. Rainbow shot past the anemometer yet again, and even Chrysalis felt a gust despite being several yards away. When the multicolored blur ground to a halt, she was visibly strained, countless beads of sweat dripping from her as she attempted to catch her breath. She stumbled back to the device, and stamped the ground angrily when she finally read the number on it. Her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and she collapsed onto the ground, her breathing heavy, her eyes staring defiantly at the wingpower readout.

A toothy smile crept over Chrysalis' face. This was it, the moment she had been watching for. She took a deep breath, wiping away her malevolent grin and replacing it with a curious, innocent one. She waited a few seconds, then sauntered carefully over to Rainbow's prone body.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash! Fancy meeting you here!"

Rainbow reluctantly rolled over onto her back. "Uh, hi? Do I know you?"

"Oh don't be coy, I'm Lyra! Lyra Heartstrings? We met at Queen C-... I mean _Princess_ _Cadence's_ wedding, remember? I was one of her bridesmaids."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Sorry, but that whole 'changeling army' thing kept me from meeting new ponies. Look, I'm kinda busy, did you want somethin'?" Rainbow tried to get up, but gave up after rolling onto her side proved too much effort for her burnt out body.

"Oh, I was just walking by, and noticed you working out. I saw that sonic rainboom you did at the wedding; very glamorous!"

"Yea, I _am_ pretty awesome."

"I couldn't help but notice you seem a little… tired out. You don't need any help do you?"

"Help? _ME_? This is the one and only Rainbow Dash you're talkin' to! I definitely _don't_ need any help." Rainbow made another attempt to rotate onto her stomach, but was again defeated by her lack of energy.

"Well, I know we don't know each other very well, but one of my magical abilities just happens to be the ability to… _inspire_ ponies with my magic. That's what the harp means." She waved a hoof at her fake cutie mark. "It's like your own private cheering section in your head. Guaranteed to make any pony a hundred-and-ten percent better at anything."

"Uh… thanks but no thanks, that sort of stuff is for losers; us _winners_ don't need magic tricks or boosts. Besides, Twilight always said that magic like that is really… unstable."

"Oh come now, it's not like you haven't ignored her opinion before. Like when she was suspicious of that fake Princess Cadence and you left her in tears in the throne room…"

Rainbow immediately stood bolt upright, and stepped very close to Chrysalis' fake face, her anger temporarily overriding her fatigue.

"Hey, just where do you get off bringing that up!? And how do you even know about that anyways?"

"I was there, remember? Royal bridesmaid you know." Chrysalis turned her face to the side, mocking embarrassment as she covered her cheek with her hoof. "Oh, how stupid of me, I've upset you. I'm sorry if I offended you, but I was just being honest you see. I only offered because you seemed so stressed about your little wheel thing there." She opened her bag with a burst of green magic and drew out a small card and quill. "Here, let me give you my address in case you change your mind. No charge after my faux pas of course. Think about it." Chrysalis levitated the card over to Rainbow's mane and stuck it behind her ear. "I promise you'll feel like a _whole new pony_ afterwards…" Chrysalis strolled off, as nonchalant as possible, and once she was out of sight she ducked behind a building, waiting to see if she could sense a response.

With a huff Dash pulled the card out of her hair, staring at the uneven cursive. She pulled her arm back to fling it on the ground, but at the top of her swing she hesitated…

"Well, guess it couldn't hurt to have an extra… bookmark…" She walked over to her bag and tucked it in the front pocket, then proceeded to gather the rest of her things. "And that dumb unicorn nearly made me late to help Twilight move her new bookshelf…"

As Rainbow swiftly dabbed herself with a towel and trotted out of the park, Chrysalis watched her go.

_Hmm… A seed well-planted, but I still need to make sure it sprouts if my plan is to succeed._ She thought to herself.

She kept Lyra's body shape, but changed the colors of her mane and body. After picking a new cutie mark at random, she stepped out from behind the building, making sure nopony had noticed the flickering light, and began to follow her target to the Ponyville Library.

Chrysalis kept her distance, but she could see that Rainbow was still groggy from her intense workout. The same malevolent grin from earlier snuck onto her lips, as a brilliant idea formed in her head. She gauged Rainbow's walking path for a moment, and just before one of those blue hooves hit the ground, she nudged a cobblestone a few centimeters out of place with her magic. Rainbow tripped fantastically, only saving herself from a faceplant by a few inches. Chrysalis quickly moved the rock back into place, and as Rainbow checked for the cause of her fall, Chrysalis could sense shame and embarrassment flare up in the pegasus' mind. A few bystanders began to stare as they walked past, and Rainbow quickly turned and continued walking, her pace slightly faster than before.

Chrysalis repeated her trick periodically as they moved along, taking care to only do it once Rainbow had forgotten about the previous time, and by the time they arrived at the library, she could tell concern and doubt had begun to fester in the athletes' emotions.

Rainbow knocked on the door, and Twilight answered it eagerly.

"Oh, hi Rainbow Dash! Me and AJ were just sitting down to lunch before we start to move the bookcase up; come on in!"

As the door closed, Chrysalis scanned the area, then shamelessly walked up to the ground floor window, peeking in from the edge of the not-quite-closed curtains. One of the other windows must've been open; she could hear what they were saying without much trouble.

"Thanks again for helping me out with this, it's too much for one pony to move alone."

"No problem sugarcube, that's what friends are fer after all!"

"Yeah, don't mention it Twilight."

Twilight magicked some sandwich-bearing plates over to the table they were all sitting at, although once she sat down she was the only one who bothered with sandwich decorum. AJ picked hers with her mouth and took a large bite out of it at the same time, while Rainbow was too drained to be concerned, and smacked her plate, flinging her own into her mouth and chewing messily.

"Fanks for th'food Twilight." She swallowed the wad of bread and hay loudly. "Pretty starved after my workout."

"Oh yea, I heard you were doing a lot training lately! Worried the Wonderbolts might reject you again?" Twilight giggled slightly and took another bite of her meal, unaware of how fake Rainbow's chuckles were.

"Naw, she's jus' gotta be in top form for when they finally wise up 'n' accept her, ain't that right Rainbow?" AJ gave Dash a playful nudge. "If'n you ever need a workout partner y'all let me know, I still owe you one for that race way back when."

"Hehe… yeah, well, sometimes I'm glad when the Wonderbolts reject me; means I don't have to work this hard all the time haha."

"Oh Rainbow, you're such a kidder."

"Yeah, like we didn't see ya waitin' for the mailpony every day for a week straight!"

"Or how every room in her house has a Wonderbolts poster in it!"

The two of them laughed together, while Rainbow pretended to be amused by their teasing.

"Aw we're just foolin' Rainbow. I betcha 5th time's the charm with this letter, if'n it ever gets here."

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the pep talks, are we movin' this thing or what?"

"Right, that's Rainbow for you, always has to go fast!" Twilight dabbed her lips with a napkin, and then the three ponies went into the antechamber, where a massive oak bookcase was waiting.

"Me and AJ already moved the old one into the basement before you got here, but now the three of us have to get this one into my room. It's really heavy, so I figured that I could levitate it, AJ could carry it, and you lift it from top, so that way it'll be stable and none of us have to carry too much weight."

"Sounds good, let's do this."

The three ponies took their positions, and as Twilight forced the heavy piece off the floor, AJ and Dash took their positions above and below it.

"Alright Rainbow, me and AJ can't see too well, so you'll have to guide us up the stairs and to my room."

"Right…"

The three ponies inched along, the piece of furniture was both heavy and awkwardly shaped. But they made it to the stairs without much trouble, and as they slowly progressed up the steps, Chrysalis saw another opportunity to damage Rainbow's self-esteem…

She waited until the trio was about halfway up the staircase, and gently nudged the huge cabinet away from the wall and towards the steep side of the stairs. As it began to sway to the side, she could easily see Rainbow's panic.

"Rainbow, keep it steady!"

"I am!"

Chrysalis nudged it a little more, and a little more, and finally she saw Rainbow's hoof slip off one side, flailing about in mid-air. With a quiet chuckle she gave it a final, forceful push.

The shelving immediately began to tilt steeply to the right, and as Twilight tugged at it with her magic, struggling to slow its fall, Rainbow realized what had happened, letting go of the other side and flying around to help push it back upright. Chrysalis subtly slid the bottom an inch or two off Applejack's back, and gravity did the rest as the bottom hit the steps with a loud, creaking THUNK.

The shock of the movement caused Twilight to lose control of her spell, and as the purple light faded the full weight of the wood began to press onto Rainbow's hooves. Chrysalis gave gravity a final prod, and Rainbow determination shattered as she was forced to fly back and let the shelf drop onto the floor.

Chrysalis slunk below the edge of the window, her mission successful.

"Uhh… Ow…"

"Is everypony okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"My back is mite bit sore, but I'm alright."

"Good. Whew, I didn't think it would be that heavy… Do you think you could try again Rainbow?"

"What, what are you lookin' at me for?"

"Well, it did tilt from the top… It's not a big deal, I'm sure your hooves were just a little sweaty."

"Yeah, and nopony would be strong enough to push that thing back up, after it'd wiggled outta their grasp."

"I didn't… I could've…" Rainbow stared at the small dent the fall had caused in the floor, and then realized both her friends were staring at her.

"Rainbow, are you okay?"

"You look like a deer that wandered onto main street."

"I've… I've gotta go."

Without another word Rainbow flew out the door, and Chrysalis began to follow the rainbow trail at a leisurely pace, a triumphant sneer across her face.


	4. Chapter 3: Poisonous Pictures

**Ch. 3**

**Poisonous Pictures**

BY: cleverpun

Rainbow Dash was having trouble falling asleep. She had tried reading another one of the Daring Do books, drinking water, and so many other tricks she had lost track of them all. That incident with the bookcase earlier in the day had shaken her up more than she wanted to admit.

Applejack and Twilight had come over right after to comfort her, but they just thought she was afraid of being injured. She hadn't been able to tell them the truth; that she was terrified of her athletic ability failing her. A week of ineffective exercise, having two left feet all through main street, and now she wasn't even able to help Twilight move a bookshelf…

She turned her head to stare at her nightstand, where she knew all those rejection letters still sat. She let out a deep sigh, then went back to staring at the ceiling. She had removed the Wonderbolts poster over her bed, it had been too distracting.

"C'mon Dash, you were just tired from the workout. And it was a heavy piece of solid oak. Everything will be fine after a bit of rest. Yeah, it'll all be fine tomorrow…"

She didn't really believe it, but she forced her eyes shut, and began to drift to sleep regardless.

As her breathing settled into a slow, steady rhythm, a dark figure slunk into her window. Chrysalis hadn't bothered to disguise herself, it was a moonless night after all.

She sat at the foot of Rainbow's bed, studying the sleeping mare for a moment.

_How serene… Almost a shame to disrupt her. Almost…_

Chrysalis took a deep breath, focusing magic into her horn, and slowly, carefully, a curtain of green energy began to blossom out of the gnarled appendage and wrap around Rainbow's bed and body.

It had been a while since Chrysalis had manipulated anypony's dreams, but as her magic seeped into Rainbow Dash, it felt like she had done it just yesterday.

_Rainbow walked carefully across the edge of Everfree Forest. The familiarity of the surroundings was strange at first, but then she noticed Fluttershy's cottage peeking out from behind some trees._

_Must've been here to visit her…_

_She flew over to the kitchen door, animals scattering from her path. She opened the door, and found herself in a doctor's office._

_A teal pony in a large white coat turned to face her, glancing at a clipboard. Ah yes, the pegasus with the broken wings… Their mouth didn't move, but Rainbow knew what they had said._

_She looked down at the doorknob that had been in her hoof not a few seconds ago. Except in its place was a black leather armrest, a puffy bulge on a metal skeleton seat. She tried to move her arms, but thin strips of medical paper around her wrists bound them to the chair. She kicked her legs, but they too were immobile. She leaned forward, but a pressure on her throat told her it was tied as well. She tried to move her wings, but was only answered with a sharp pain._

_The doctor shone a dentists light into her face, and when they took it away, their brown fur was all Rainbow could see._

_Definitely going to have to operate._

_The doctor walked behind the chair, and Rainbow turned her head to see what they had gone to get. She could feel the dry, slick paper slide across her throat and she tried to get a good look at them. But they had already gone out of sight, the clanking of metal her only clue._

_She turned her head back forward, and there was the doctor, their coat larger than before, sagging off their soldiers, and a dentist drill in their purple hoof, an anemometer at the foot of the black chair._

_This won't hurt a bit, I promise._

_The doctor removed their pith helmet, and a long pink mane spilled out of it_

_Fluttershy?_

_Don't worry Rainbow Dash, this won't hurt a bit, I do it to my animals all the time when they get too… rambunctious._

_Rainbow thrashed about, but her eyes popped open when she felt a tug on her back._

_The giant yellow hoof pulled her out of the chair easily, her paper restraints snapping easily as she was lifted. Fluttershy's huge, open mouth drew closer and closer to Rainbow, and before she knew it she was falling in a pitch black void. She could hear Fluttershy dab her lips with a napkin, and then landed on hard cold dirt._

_Rainbow stood up, the cave completely devoid of light._

_Suddenly, a point of blue light flared up next to her, and Rarity patted Rainbow's back. Don't worry Rainbow Dash, we'll find a way out of this mess, together. She assured her._

_But as soon as Rarity had finished talking, there was a massive fluttering and shuffling of wings, and a swarm of changelings began to buzz and chirp and click throughout the cave. The light from Rarity's horn flickered, vanishing and reappearing as the changelings flew about._

_Rainbow called out, but no words came. She aimed a swift kick at the shapeless mob, but only managed to injure herself when her weak kick was deflected by the mighty horde._

_Weakling, weakling, weakling! The changelings buzzed mercilessly._

_The light from Rarity's magic suddenly vanished altogether, and Rainbow was left alone with the frantic buzzing of wings and insults._

_A green glow broke through the cave, and Rainbow saw that pony from the park, Lyra?_

_The unicorn cast a wide bubble of green energy across the stone cavern, and the shapeless black changelings retreated into the darkness._

_Lyra summoned Rainbow with her hoof, and as Rainbow followed her to a large rocky mouth, she knew it must lead out of the cave._

_She pushed open the door, and found herself leaving her own house. Before she could be confused by it, she felt two legs kicking her off her own porch. As she tumbled in midair, she saw Applejack waving goodbye to her, a pith helmet in her hoofs and a smile on her face._

_Rainbow tried to beat her wings and fly before she hit the ground, but she had none. She saw a burst of green fire surround her house, and as she braced herself to hit the ground, struggling to remove the bedsheet noose from her neck, the mirror finally shattered. As a piece of the glass floated by her face she noticed her mane was styled exactly like Rarity's. She kicked the piece of glass away and…_

She woke up with a start, bolting upright immediately. She saw what looked like the silhouette of a changeling at the foot of her bed, but after she blinked and rubbed her eyes, it had gone.

Her bed was soaked, and she hastily wiped a thick layer of sweat from her brow. She could feel her fur and mane sticking to her body as she reluctantly got out of bed.

On the roof, meanwhile, Chrysalis forged herself a disguise as some grey Pegasus or other, and flew off.


End file.
